Karen Lawson, MD

Karen Lawson leads the University of Minnesota's Center for Spirituality & Healing's integrative medical education efforts, teaching about Shamanism and directing the Health Coaching track of the Certificate in Complementary Therapies and Healing Practices. She is a published author and researcher, and speaks nationally to diverse audiences on the power and potential of integrated and holistic health care practices.

Board-certified in family medicine and holistic medicine, Karen Lawson, is teaching faculty at the Center for Spirituality and Healing, where she leads the integrative medical education efforts, teaches about Shamanism[2], and directs the Health Coaching track of the Certificate in Complementary Therapies and Healing Practices.

Lawson is past-president of the American Holistic Medical Association and a founding Diplomat of the American Board of Integrative and Holistic Medicine. She completed undergraduate degrees with honors from Michigan State University in biochemistry and physiology and earned her medical degree at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor. She completed her family medicine residency at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Since that time, her wide-ranging experience has included work as an integrative medicine consultant and as an emergency department and family practice physician. She is the former medical director of Lamat Medical Corporation in San Diego, Calif., and of The Wege Institute for Mind, Body and Spirit at St. Mary's Mercy Medical Center in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Lawson has studied shamanic medicine for the past ten years and has advanced training in homeopathy[3]. She brings expertise in meditation[4] techniques, yoga[5], dance/movement therapies and nutrition[6] to her work. Her special interests include rites of passage and rituals for healing. In her current position, Lawson is active in undergraduate and graduate medical education, faculty development, and graduate studies.

Dr. Lawson is a published author and researcher, and speaks nationally to diverse audiences on the power and potential of integrated and holistic health care practices.